On Tuesday's CBS
Evening News before the OJ verdict broke, Rita Braver concluded a piece,
on what Clinton would say to Congress in a few hours, by noting that
"he'll recycle a line from his Inaugural asking Americans to join him
in becoming repairers of the breach."

Picking up of
Braver's language, Dan Rather then intoned: "Well one breach that
apparently needs repairing already tonight involves the man chosen by
Republicans to give their official response to the President's address,
Congressman J.C. Watts of Oklahoma. At issue, not what he's going to say,
but what he's already said about one of Newt Gingrich's invited guests
tonight. Bob Schieffer is tracking this controversy in Washington,
Bob."

Schieffer began:
"Well Dan a real sour note was struck in the Republican effort to
reach out to black voters today. As you know, Speaker Gingrich had invited
civil rights leader Jesse Jackson to sit with Ms. Gingrich tonight to hear
the President's speech. Gingrich had also chosen a black Oklahoma
Republican, J.C. Watts, to deliver the official Republican response to the
President's speech. But Watts has stirred up a furor when he was quoted in
the Washington Post today speaking of 'his contempt for 'race hustling
poverty pimps' like Jesse Jackson and Marion Barry, whose careers depend
on keeping black people dependent on government.'"

After explaining
that Watts' office said he was not referring to anyone specifically and
noting that Jesse Jackson was so upset he considered not attending,
Schieffer concluded:

"But his
son, Jesse Jr., who is a Congressman from Illinois was so outraged he sent
a letter to Watts tonight calling his remarks 'uncivil,' 'immature,'
'ignorant.' and 'insensitive.' And he called for a public correction. This
is clearly not what the Republicans planned when they started all of this,
Dan."

Back on November
20, black Democratic Congressman William Clay disparaged outgoing
Republican Congressman Gary Franks, who is also black, as a "Negro
Dr. Kevorkian." The November 21 Washington Times quoted from a
six-page letter Clay circulated on Capitol Hill critical of Franks'
conservative views. Clay described Franks as "a pariah, who gleefully
assists in suicidal conduct to destroy his own race."

Coverage on the
CBS Evening News of this scathing personal attack? Not "sour"
enough to get reported.

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